time out
To stop for a short rest or to be stopped because time ran out.
Meanings
In sports, to call for a short pause in play to allow a team to rest or plan strategy.
"The coach called a time out with two minutes left on the clock."
"The Bulls called timeout with 1.8 seconds remaining."
— Common NBA sports commentary; widely attested.
In computing, for a process or connection to stop automatically because the allowed time has been exceeded.
"My online banking session timed out because I didn't do anything for ten minutes."
To take a deliberate break from a stressful activity or situation.
"She decided to time out from social media for the whole month of January."
(Chiefly North American, parenting) To send a child to sit quietly as a disciplinary measure.
"After the third tantrum, she timed him out in the corner for five minutes."
As a noun, 'time-out' or 'timeout' is common in sports, parenting, and computing. As a verb, it is most commonly used in tech contexts (the session timed out) and sports. The parenting sense (putting a child in time out) is chiefly North American.
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